bilingüe [pdf] - Blog de Javier Smaldone
bilingüe [pdf] - Blog de Javier Smaldone
bilingüe [pdf] - Blog de Javier Smaldone
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George Orwell 1 9 8 4<br />
ever seizes power with the intention of<br />
relinquishing it. Power is not a means, it is an end.<br />
One does not establish a dictatorship in or<strong>de</strong>r to<br />
safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in<br />
or<strong>de</strong>r to establish the dictatorship. The object of<br />
persecution is persecution. The object of torture is<br />
torture. The object of power is power. Now do you<br />
begin to un<strong>de</strong>rstand me?’<br />
Winston was struck, as he had been struck before,<br />
by the tiredness of O’Brien’s face. It was strong and<br />
fleshy and brutal, it was full of intelligence and a<br />
sort of controlled passion before which he felt<br />
himself helpless; but it was tired. There were<br />
pouches un<strong>de</strong>r the eyes, the skin sagged from the<br />
cheekbones. O’Brien leaned over him, <strong>de</strong>liberately<br />
bringing the worn face nearer.<br />
‘You are thinking,’ he said, ‘that my face is old and<br />
tired. You are thinking that I talk of power, and yet<br />
I am not even able to prevent the <strong>de</strong>cay of my own<br />
body. Can you not un<strong>de</strong>rstand, Winston, that the<br />
individual is only a cell? The weariness of the cell<br />
is the vigour of the organism. Do you die when you<br />
cut your fingernails?’<br />
He turned away from the bed and began strolling up<br />
and down again, one hand in his pocket.<br />
‘We are the priests of power,’ he said. ‘God is<br />
power. But at present power is only a word so far as<br />
you are concerned. It is time for you to gather some<br />
i<strong>de</strong>a of what power means. The first thing you must<br />
realize is that power is collective. The individual<br />
only has power in so far as he ceases to be an<br />
individual. You know the Party slogan: “Freedom is<br />
Slavery”. Has it ever occurred to you that it is<br />
reversible? Slavery is freedom. Alone—free—the<br />
human being is always <strong>de</strong>feated. It must be so,<br />
because every human being is doomed to die, which<br />
is the greatest of all failures. But if he can make<br />
complete, utter submission, if he can escape from<br />
his i<strong>de</strong>ntity, if he can merge himself in the Party so<br />
that he IS the Party, then he is all-powerful and<br />
immortal. The second thing for you to realize is that<br />
299<br />
humanos serían libres e iguales. Nosotros no<br />
somos así. Sabemos que nadie se apo<strong>de</strong>ra <strong>de</strong>l<br />
mando con la intención <strong>de</strong> <strong>de</strong>jarlo. El po<strong>de</strong>r no es<br />
un medio, sino un fin en sí mismo. No se establece<br />
una dictadura para salvaguardar una revolución; se<br />
hace la revolución para establecer una dictadura.<br />
El objeto <strong>de</strong> la persecución no es más que la<br />
persecución misma. La tortura sólo tiene como<br />
finalidad la misma tortura. Y el objeto <strong>de</strong>l po<strong>de</strong>r<br />
no es más que el po<strong>de</strong>r. ¿Empiezas a enten<strong>de</strong>rme?<br />
A Winston le asombraba el cansancio <strong>de</strong>l rostro <strong>de</strong><br />
O'Brien. Era fuerte, carnoso y brutal, lleno <strong>de</strong><br />
inteligencia y <strong>de</strong> una especie <strong>de</strong> pasión controlada<br />
ante la cual sentíase uno <strong>de</strong>sarmado; pero, <strong>de</strong>s<strong>de</strong><br />
luego, estaba cansado. Tenía bolsones bajo los<br />
ojos y la piel floja en las mejillas. O'Brien se<br />
inclinó sobre él para acercarle más la cara, para<br />
que pudiera verla mejor.<br />
— Estás pensando — le dijo — que tengo la cara<br />
avejentada y cansada. Piensas que estoy hablando<br />
<strong>de</strong>l po<strong>de</strong>r y que ni siquiera puedo evitar la<br />
<strong>de</strong>crepitud <strong>de</strong> mi propio cuerpo. ¿No compren<strong>de</strong>s,<br />
Winston, que el individuo es sólo una célula? El<br />
cansancio <strong>de</strong> la célula supone el vigor <strong>de</strong>l<br />
organismo. ¿Acaso te mueres al cortarte las uñas?<br />
Se apartó <strong>de</strong>l lecho y empezó a pasear con una<br />
mano en el bolsillo.<br />
— Somos los sacerdotes <strong>de</strong>l po<strong>de</strong>r —dijo —. El<br />
po<strong>de</strong>r es Dios. Pero ahora el po<strong>de</strong>r es sólo una<br />
palabra en lo que a ti respecta. Y ya es hora <strong>de</strong> que<br />
tengas una i<strong>de</strong>a <strong>de</strong> lo que el po<strong>de</strong>r significa.<br />
Primero <strong>de</strong>bes darte cuenta <strong>de</strong> que el po<strong>de</strong>r es<br />
colectivo. El individuo sólo <strong>de</strong>tenta po<strong>de</strong>r en tanto<br />
<strong>de</strong>ja <strong>de</strong> ser un individuo. Ya conoces la consigna<br />
<strong>de</strong>l Partido: «La libertad es la esclavitud». ¿Se te<br />
ha ocurrido pensar que esta frase es reversible? Sí,<br />
la esclavitud es la libertad. El ser humano es<br />
<strong>de</strong>rrotado siempre que está solo, siempre que es<br />
libre. Ha <strong>de</strong> ser así porque todo ser humano está<br />
con<strong>de</strong>nado a morir irremisiblemente y la muerte es<br />
el mayor <strong>de</strong> todos los fracasos; pero si el hombre<br />
logra someterse plenamente, si pue<strong>de</strong> escapar <strong>de</strong><br />
su propia i<strong>de</strong>ntidad, si es capaz <strong>de</strong> fundirse con el